e-Tuition

[ngl2010]

Unfinished_Math:

The advantages of face to face tuition are well known but with the increasing cost of tuition (around $50 an hour) and question marks over the 'standards' of tutors in the market (many seems only interested in making a quick buck), what other options we do have?


I considered several parameters - effectiveness, convenience and cost.

1. Assessment books. Solutions for questions may be provided, but I feel many a time, children are not motivated to attempt the questions. I am sure most of you have piles of assessment books lying around your house, with only a few pages attempted. In other words, there are no / little 'teaching elements' in asking the child to attempt assessment books and it is not an effective / productive way for the child to learn (either from their mistakes, etc)

2. Recorded lessons. (With a 'real' teacher teaching - not animation, java, etc) There are abundance of such lessons on Youtube and various websites. It combines tradition with modernity, suitable for students these days, who are familiar and comfortable with technology. Many prestigious universities around the world are also sharing their recorded lesson, the aim I believe is to share the best teachers or lesson so as to motivate and inspire more students to achieve better results.

Here are some of the examples I found online (free)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-cGr18e48U&list=PLIv2rSLoRRnoihEg3nWUhPWnfP_qQbuqd
- http://www.xueersi.com/
- http://www.youtube.com/user/EducatorVids?v=9pW3Ds4d5Vo.

It will not work for Primary School children. You can create a poll and see what parents choose/think.

[KimMills]

Of course in face to face tuition you get the opportunity to interact with the tutor and the child performs better but with the chnaging times and dearth of able teachers the online tuitions are getting popular day by day. But if one talks about little toddlers and preschoolers then the http://www.littlekingdomchildcare.com are the best. There's no option for an online class.

[senseimichael]

Unfinished_Math:

They would not be distracted by 'pokemons' topics raised in class. (Friends - especially those that distracts the child from learning in a class)

My experiences have been that topics linked to a child's interest improve their retention of what was taught. It is interesting to note that in your classroom (you are a teacher too?) it creates a distraction instead. I guess our student population must have been very, very different.
[quote]I feel if the child view the lessons in an environment with minimal distractions, it will allow the child to focus and learn more effectively. More importantly, in a class with children with different abilities, with recorded lessons, weaker students can 'replay' the part of the lesson they could not understand and view the teachings again. [/quote]I agree that minimal distraction is good, but a pure \"lecture\" online means that the weaker child is likely to \"zone out\" and be distracted by the things around him. Again, it is the children who already have the ability to concentrate and the motivation to do so, that benefit. And these are already high-performing children.
[quote]On the other hand, I feel higher ability students will be better off in a classroom environment style learning as they are more outspoken and would not will left out in the class. Moreover, recorded lessons may be too boring for them.[/quote]*All* children benefit from such a learning style, not just higher ability students. Higher ability students already have multiple learning styles and can adapt to them. Their ability to focus and distill information is also much stronger, and so the recorded lessons, although less beneficial than a classroom environment, are still of great benefit to them.

As I have argued before, from my experience, it is really not easy to get those middle to lower ability students to focus on lectures. They learn much better from documentaries and \"Magic-Schoolbus\" types of cartoons than a lecture.

[Unfinished_Math]

Some of us may find online recorded lessons as a resource that is probably far-fetched and not a 'method' a child can benefit from.


A reason for starting this conversation is because of an interesting portion in the Singapore Budget announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman sometime earlier this year.

It can be found in the following website: (Part D32)
http://www.singaporebudget.gov.sg/budget_2013/speech_toc/download/FY2013_Budget_Statement.pdf

http://i40.tinypic.com/qocccj.png\">


I am guessing, in the near future, online recorded lessons will become 'the way' our kids learn in schools. The future of education I guess.

Maybe only when MOE implements this system into schools, will people accept this form of learning. Only then, it will become a 'norm' for our children to learn and study.

[sharonkhoo]

Age of the student is also a factor. I think recorded, non-interactive lessons are not likely to work well for most younger kids, probably up to lower sec. Even for older, more disciplined kids, there needs to be some kind of monitoring and assessment to check if they have actually paid attention! Only the most highly-motivated can learn well through non-interactive means without some degree of monitoring.


My kids have been doing ‘internet school’ for the past few years, starting with grade 7 (sec 1). One daughter has done 4 yrs and the other 2 yrs. The lesson webpages are text and graphics, with occasional video but not of a teacher/class, and also links to other sites. Teachers set deadlines for assignments and will alert parents if work is not submitted on time, and short skype calls are scheduled about once a month per subject. My experience is that the less-motivated one (my elder) had to have me breathe down her neck for most of the first 2 yrs before she got better at coping. My younger one is a more highly-motivated student, and so managed without much supervision (also she probably heard all the scoldings the older one got and decided to avoid the scoldings!). So my conclusion is that no matter what resources there are, supervision by teachers and parents is still necessary, probably until the student reaches at least upp sec age, and for many students, beyond.

[senseimichael]

slmkhoo:

So my conclusion is that no matter what resources there are, supervision by teachers and parents is still necessary, probably until the student reaches at least upp sec age, and for many students, beyond.

My sentiments exactly, slm. The MOE online resources are used to support the teacher's teaching. Even if they are used \"alone\", they are likely to be supplements to the teacher's teaching.

[senseimichael]

I have been doing this with my students in China. It can work and I like the fact that the student is "forced" to focus on you, if there is a webcam involved. The ones where it is just voice and text makes it difficult for the teacher to catch cues as to their student’s focus (or lack of).

[iLoveChubby]

Asking on behalf.


If you know of any enrichment/tuition centres that integrates IT into their lessons e.g. develop their own apps to use during lessons (using ipad) or/and have their own learning portals for their students to continue the work at home... pls pm me.

Thanks! :rahrah:

[senseimichael]

etuition powerhouse:

The local population have a mixed response after asking around parents of my current students.

So...giving up due to no market?

[meinteel]

Suppose that there is a online learning portal which has the following;

1. Notes & guides for self-learning of the subject according to MOE syllabus.
2. Practice questions & mock examination papers for the students to attempt
3. Work submitted via the portal will be marked & commented by experienced tutors & trained teachers
4. Discussion forum for students to post questions & get replies from other students as well as tutors. Tutors will moderate the forum on daily basis (includes Sat & Sun) expect on public holidays.
5. Your child’s progress will be tracked & reported on a monthly basis.

Would you subscribe to such a learning portal? Suppose that subscription is based on a monthly-subject basis, would you subscribe your child to it and how much would you be willing to pay a month?